When all of the realignment wheels stopped spinning, the sentiment about the Big 12 was a league that was going to be wide open for the taking. The league was comprised of teams that could compete with anyone in the conference. Turns out, that sentiment was correct. Sure, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is not looking forward to a Big 12 championship game where the two teams playing in it are leaving his conference next year. Or will Kansas State have something to say about that after all with a change in quarterback? The week seven takeaways from the Big 12 also include another game-of-the-year candidate and realizing being the best of the rest isn’t a great spot to live this season.
Week Seven Takeaways From The Big 12
Yet Another Game Of The Year Candidate
First, it was UCF/Baylor. Last week, it was Red River. The latest game of the year candidate came on last Thursday down in Houston. Neal Brown’s West Virginia team was enjoying a surprise 4-1 start and taking on a struggling Houston team. Tickets for the game were selling for the price of one single donut from Dunkin’. The recorded attendance was 32,152 but looked like 20,000 at most on television. For three quarters, it looked like every Mountaineer game this season. Their offense was struggling while dragging Houston’s offense down with them. Then the fourth quarter happened. West Virginia scored more points in the fourth quarter than Houston had in the first three-quarters of the game.
However, Mountaineer got to witness the Donovan Smith experience. He simply could not miss a wide receiver. In fact, he got on a heater that included 16 consecutive passes that were completed. Houston took the lead with 7:28 left in the game by a score of 35-24. However, West Virginia made its winning plays by getting a touchdown to cut the lead to three and getting the defensive stop to give themselves a chance to win.
And those boys did not miss as Garrett Greene connected with Hudson Clement for a 50-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left. Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen looked gut-punched. But, there was an unsportsmanlike penalty called on West Virginia that pushed the kickoff back and Houston took over around midfield. Remember that 16 consecutive completed passes streak by Smith? Turns out he wasn’t done as his 17th completion was tipped around and Stephon Johnson came down with the Hail Mary to win 41-39.
The Third Spot Appears Cursed
The 2007 college football season is the definition of chaos. There are plenty of bonkers statistics from that year. But the one that is drawing some parallels to these week seven takeaways is the consistent losses at one specific position. In the ’07 season, the team ranked second in the AP poll lost seven times. This included a streak of nine consecutive weeks to close out the season. So far, the team that has held the third place in the Big 12 power rankings has lost for two consecutive weeks.
First, it was Kansas State losing to Oklahoma State on a Friday night. This past week, West Virginia fell victim in spectacular fashion to Houston. Currently, Oklahoma State is actually tied for third in the standings with Texas. Iowa State actually is in second place because they are the only other team besides Oklahoma with three Big 12 wins. One thing is for certain, if Matt Campbell and the Cyclones do grab that third spot in the power rankings this week, the streak will end at two weeks. Iowa State is one bye this week.
Can The Wildcats Challenge The Longhorns And Sooners?
Chris Klieman appears to be turning the offense over to his five-star freshman quarterback. Avery Johnson made his Big 12 debut with authority. His five rushing touchdowns performance came in a business-like victory over the Red Raiders. And with respect to Iowa State, who also handled their business against Cincinnati, they have yet to show enough consistency to be considered a real threat to the top of the Big 12. So, in these week seven takeaways, the question is are the defending Big 12 champions back as a contender?
Beating an overrated Texas Tech team does not prove much for the rest of the season. However, Johnson appears to be a true difference maker. The last-second loss to Missouri is aging about as well as a loss can. Also, it appears the loss to Oklahoma State was the catalyst to make this change. The offensive line looked like the powerful unit many expected them to be. Having a true home run threat completely changes the trajectory of their offense. Now, we will see what happens when Johnson is forced to throw more. But a showdown with Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns looms large on November 4th. If the freshman plays un-freshman like for the second half of this season, they have a chance to prevent a Red River rematch.
